Doggystyle [PA] [Digipak] (CD - 1993)

Personnel includes: Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, Dat Nigga Daz, The Queen Of Funk, Ricky Harris, RBX, The Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg, Warren G, Kurupt, The Hug, Nancy Fletcher, The Lady Of Rage, D.O.C., Lil Malik, The Dramatics (rap vocals).

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

"Gin & Juice" was nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.

This is a DualDisc, which contains a CD on one side of the disc and a DVD on the other.

If Snoop Dogg's debut, Doggystyle, doesn't seem like a debut, it's because in many ways it's not. Snoop had already debuted as a featured rapper on Dr. Dre's 1992 album, The Chronic, rapping on half of the 16 tracks, including all the hit singles, so it wasn't like he was an unknown force when Doggystyle was released in late 1993. If anything, he was the biggest star in hip-hop, with legions of fans anxiously awaiting new material, and they were the ones who snapped up the album, making it the first debut album to enter the Billboard charts at number one. It wasn't like they were buying an unknown quantity. They knew that the album would essentially be the de facto sequel to The Chronic, providing another round of P-Funk-inspired grooves and languid gangsta and ganja tales, just like Dre's album. Which is exactly what Doggystyle is -- a continuation of The Chronic, with the same production, same aesthetic and themes, and same reliance on guest rappers. The miracle is, it's as good as that record. There are two keys to its success, one belonging to Dre, the other to Snoop. Dre realized that it wasn't time to push the limits of G-funk, and instead decided to deepen it musically, creating easy-rolling productions that have more layers than they appear. They're laid-back funky, continuing to resonate after many listens, but their greatest strength is that they never overshadow the laconic drawl of Snoop, who confirms that he's one of hip-hop's greatest vocal stylists with this record. Other gangsta rappers were all about aggression and anger -- even Dre, as a rapper, is as blunt as a thug -- but Snoop takes his time, playing with the flow of his words, giving his rhymes a nearly melodic eloquence. Compare his delivery to many guest rappers here: Nate Dogg, Kurupt, and Dat Nigga Daz are all good rappers, but they're good in a conventional sense, where Snoop is something special, with unpredictable turns of phrase, evocative imagery, and a distinctive, addictive flow. If Doggystyle doesn't surprise or offer anything that wasn't already on The Chronic, it nevertheless is the best showcase for Snoop's prodigious talents, not just because he's given the room to run wild, but because he knows what to do with that freedom and Dre presents it all with imagination and a narrative thrust. If it doesn't have the shock of the new, the way that The Chronic did, so be it: Over the years, the pervasive influence of that record and its countless ripoffs has dulled its innovations, so it doesn't have the shock of the new either. Now, Doggystyle and The Chronic stand proudly together as the twin pinnacles of West Coast G-funk hip-hop of the early '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Long Beach, California's Snoop Doggy Dogg made one of the most successful debuts in rap music with DOGGYSTYLE. Introduced on the Dr. Dre single "Deep Cover," Snoop gained further popularity with his smoothed-out gangsta-type flow on Dre's THE CHRONIC. His music has ruled the clubs and the airwaves ever since, and the fact that his Dr. Dre-directed video "Murder Was The Case" was extended into an 18-minute feature-length film with its own soundtrack is further proof of just how much pull Snoop has in the hip-hop nation.

Having super-producer Dr. Dre behind the scenes guaranteed DOGGYSTYLE a top ten spot on the pop charts. Singles like "Gin And Juice" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)" have helped Snoop gain the recognition of the entire music industry without selling out his original rap audience. Possessing among the most unique deliveries in hip-hop, Snoop revives the old-school with his remake of the classic "Lodi Dodi"--originally performed by Slick Rick, and reinterpreted in a West Coast style. A guest appearance by The Dramatics on "Doggy Dog World" also helps illustrate the rapper's fondness for 70's grooves. And just as Dre pushed him out front on THE CHRONIC, Snoop empowers Tha Dogg Pound on DOGGYSTYLE, allowing his homies to share in his spotlight on "Ain't No Fun (If The Homies Can't Have None)." minimize